In Which Gail Reviews Hysteria The Movie (Miss Carriger Recommends)

I finally saw Hysteria. I liked it. Funny and fun and good costumes and an amusing foray into the quirks of medical history.

I like Maggie Gyllenhaal very much as an actress, but I don’t think this is her best effort. Her accent slipped up a few times and I was always very conscious of her acting, if you know what I mean? It was like she was trying to be Minnie Driver. The length of the courtroom scene was rather jarring, and (like the courtroom scene in Dangerous Beauty) is destined to be fast forwarded every time one rewatches.

I thought Felicity Jones rather stole the movie, and is maturing into the kind of young lady I could see play Prudence in the new series. Of course, one spend the entire film waiting for Rupert Everett to reappear. But when is that not the case? I believe I am waiting for Rupert Everett to reappear right this very moment.

In summation, I laughed out loud several times. I would certainly say this movie is worth renting. It’s a nice break to have a costume drama that is funny and light and stays that way.